Best Books on Creative Writing

Blending autobiography and writing guide, this book delves into King’s writing journey, revealing his challenges, inspirations and techniques. From focusing on the importance of reading to the art of crafting compelling narratives, ‘On Writing’ is a must-read for both King fans and writers looking to improve their craft.

This delightful book is filled with heartfelt anecdotes and personal insights. Gilbert unpacks the concept of creativity throughout, outlining the attitudes, approaches and habits we need to live our most creative lives. The book presents a concept that I still think about regularly: ideas are living entities and choose you to write them.

If you’re an aspiring writer, you’d have heard about the legendary author, Ray Bradbury. Did you know he was a student of Zen? Bradbury found inspiration in Zen philosophy and often incorporated it into his writing, like being present and trusting your intuition. This book is not just about writing, it’s also about unleashing your creativity and imagination

Yorke explores the creative brilliance behind our favourite fairy tales and how the storytelling structure of these timeless tales can be applied to modern-day writing. The book is a treasure trove of creative insights and an essential read for writers, covering archetypes, character arcs, setting and plot twists.

This remarkable book is overflowing with creativity and will have you bursting with inspiration in no time. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a beginner in the world of writing, this guide will take you on an artistic journey filled with colourful graphics, practical advice and imaginative storytelling.

Looking to unleash your creative potential? Or have you been stuck in a creative rut, unable to come up with new ideas? If so, you might want to pick up this iconic book. It’s helped artists tap into their inner creativity and find their unique voice, featuring exercises to overcome creative blocks and morning pages to clear your mind.

This book teaches you how to unleash your creativity and let your words flow onto paper, as well as how to overcome writer’s block, find your voice and hone your skills. It will inspire you to cultivate a lifelong habit of writing and let you discover your unique voice. 

This is an excellent resource for any writer looking to enhance their creativity. Lamott encourages writers to focus on writing the first draft and not worry about perfection, take time to observe and embrace one’s unique voice. Ultimately, the book helps you discover the joys of creativity and improve your craft.

In The Art of Fiction, Gardner has so much to offer writers, from his creative writing exercises to his advice on character development, authenticity and narration. Gardner encourages you to take risks and explore the many ways that imagination can influence storytelling.

Discover how to improve your writing skills by learning from the masterful techniques of one of the greatest science fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin. Focusing on structure, language and dialogue, Le Guin offers practical exercises and advice to help writers of all levels achieve their goals.

Want something to spark your creativity and accurately portray your characters’ emotions? Good news, there’s a tool that can help: The Emotion Thesaurus. This book provides writers with a comprehensive guide of emotions, body language and sensory cues to help master the art of emotion and bring your characters to life.

Orson Scott Card, renowned sci-fi and fantasy writer, approaches characters and viewpoints in an interesting way. Rather than building his characters from scratch, Card takes existing archetypes and gives them a unique twist to make them memorable. There’s lots to learn from Orson Scott Card’s creativity. Why not apply it to your own writing?

This book offers a comprehensive guide for writers looking to tap into their creativity and create stories that are both engaging and impactful. One of Vogler’s central ideas is how every story is essentially a hero’s journey, and he outlines the fundamental elements of a successful narrative. It’s an ideal book for anyone who wants to create a compelling story (that would be all of us, right?).

This book has helped many writers understand the architecture of a great story. From creating multi-dimensional characters to developing a plot, Truby helps you to enhance your creativity and write better stories.

This book is perfect for writers looking to unlock their creative potential and approach writing in a whole new way. Cron’s approach to writing centres around the idea that our brains are wired for storytelling. So if you’re a writer struggling to put pen to paper, give Story Genius a read and see how it can transform your approach to writing.